With all the technology available to homeowners, it can be daunting when attempting to choose the right type of home security system. But, if you’re looking for a recommendation I suppose you could try mine. After all, its virtually impossible to escape. My husband and I should know; we can’t even dodge it.

My husband and I became first time home buyers three years ago. And despite the usual stress that accompanies the purchase of real estate, it was an exciting time for us. Yet, never did we stop to think about the little things—or big things for that matter—that pop up, unexpectedly in home care that result in high expenses and placing trust in contractors.  Needless to say, it took only one misstep for us to learn our lesson.

A gentleman selling security systems visited our house a month after we moved in. He had a great deal: purchase his company’s security equipment and receive the installation for free. How could we pass that up right? But before signing a contract we had one question: were we able to cancel our service at any time? His reply was simple; “keep the service for one year. After that, you can cancel anytime.” Lest to say, after some consideration, we accepted the man’s offer.

The first year of service kept us relatively satisfied, though we discovered a pattern of false alarms. Each one occurred while we were out of town, so the monitoring system had to contact the police and have them secure the house. During those times, we were grateful for the security system. That is until we began receiving notices a few months ago saying that any future false alarms would cost us an additional $200. Naturally, we were not pleased. After all, we had no control over such situations. So, we decided to suspend our service.

Unfortunately, we soon discovered our contract was binding for 60 months! Having had the system for two years already, that meant we were stuck paying bills and false alarm fees for another three years. To add insult to injury, not only could we not cancel, but if we sold our home while still under contract, the new homeowners would be subject to the system fees. If they refused to pay, my husband and I would be forced to take out the system and re-install it wherever we moved; a rendering of services costing nearly $1,500.

Distraught, I told the company about the salesman who guaranteed us a one-year cancellation policy. I had his name and employee number, but it didn’t matter. He had left the company. Turns out, my husband and I placed full trust in a man who simply represented a well-known company. We equated his integrity to that of the brand he sold, but received far less than the quality we expected. We had made our own bed; bound to a contract with no remedy and no possible escape.

Slaughter Development understands how difficult it can be to implement change. But, as can be learned from this story, that’s what it takes to improve a company and its products. After all, our security system’s brand is being tainted by negatively skewed processes and misinformed employees. If they are to regain a good reputation and maintain a successful business, they need to begin making significant changes. Otherwise, they may soon discover, like us, finding a remedy is far from possible.

Slaughter Development encourages its clients to embrace change fully. Not only does it reinforce stakeholder satisfaction, but it improves a company’s ability for progress. Contact us today to learn more about how your company can benefit from methodology engineering.

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